Stabilizer



July 10, 1962 J. L. GLEASON 3,043,049

STABILIZER Filed June 2 1960 INVENTOR.

JAY L. GLEASON United States Patent 3,043,049 STABILIZER Jay L. Gleason,1101 Ocean Drive, Oxnard, Califi, as-

signor of one-tenth to Gadget-Of-The-Month Club, Inc., North Hollywood,Calif., a corporation of California 7 Filed June 21, 1960, Ser. No.37,713 4 Claims. (Cl. 45-139) The present invention consists of astabilizer which, in one preferred form, may comprise a tablestabilizer, although not specifically so limited, adapted to bepositioned between the surface of an underlying floor and a base portionof a support member of a table, or other object, for stabilizing sameagainst wobble with respect to the underlying floor and for compensatingfor slight variations in the floor from a true horizontal plane.Hereinafter the stabilizer will be referred to and described as a tablestabilizer. However, it should be clearly understood that this is forexemplary purposes, and the invention is not specifically so limited.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a stabilizer of thecharacter referred to above, which is of extremely simple, cheap,foolproof construction such as to be conducive to widespread usethereof.

It is a further object to provide a table stabilizer of the characterreferred to above, adapted to be positioned between the surface of anunderlying floor and a discshaped base portion of a central supportmember of a table for stabilizing the table against wobble with respectto the underlying floor and for compensating for slight variations inthe floor from a true horizontal plane.

It is a further object to provide a stabilizer of the character referredto hereinbefore, wherein the stabilizer may comprise an element adaptedfor attachment to a pre-existing base portion of a table, or otherobject which is to be stabilized, or where the stabilizer may initiallycomprise a portion of the table at the time that it is built. In otherwords, in this latter form of the invention, the stabilizer is attachedto the base portion of the table, or object which is to be stabilized,at all times and is initially manufactured and supplied in this manner.7

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description which followshereinafter and will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after acareful study thereof.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, oneexemplary embodiment is illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figuresof the accompanying single drawing sheet and is described in detailhereinafter.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of one exemplary form of table of the typehaving a central support member provided with a disc-shaped baseportion, which has po- 'sitioned thereunder the novel stabilizer of thepresent invention. p

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view taken in the direction of the arrows 2-2 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken in the directionof the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, partially broken away, withcertain exterior portions of the plastic material removed in order toshow clearly the two types of inelastic means carried within theflexible wall of the hollow table support member of the presentinvention for the purpose of preventing it fiom longitudinallystretching and from radially or circumferentially stretching when underimposed load in the manner shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a line describing acircular arc in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of FIG. 2 andillustrates the relationship of 3,043,049 Patented July 10, 1962 thehollow table support member with respect to an uneven underlying floorbefore adjustment thereto has occurred.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the fragmentary hollow tablesupport member in fully compensated and adjusted relationship withrespect to the uneven underlying floor.

Referring to the figures for exemplary purposes, one illustrativeembodiment of the invention takes a typical exemplary form, wherein itcomprises a circular or toroid al-shaped hollow table support member,indicated generally at 10, of flexible material comprising a flexibleenclosing wall means 11 defining therein a continuous toroidal hollowinterior region 12 preferably of flattened oval cross-section whenfilled with a viscous inelastic medium 14 described in detailhereinafter whereby to be adapted to carry a table, such as thatgenerally indicated at 13. The flexible enclosing wall means 11, in onepreferred form of the invention, is adapted to be provided withinelastic means, which, in the example illustrated, comprises twodistinct layers of inelastic fibrous material shown at 11A and 11B (bestshown in FIG. 4) carried along the length of the flexible wall 11whereby to prevent the table support member 10 from longitudinally,radially and/or circumferentially stretching in a manner tending toincrease the volume of the hollow interior region 12. As mentionedabove, in the specific example illustrated, the inelastic meanscomprises two layers of fibrous material, 11A and 11B. The layer 11Acomprises a plurality of inelastic fibers, such as fiber glass, or thelike (although not specifically so limited) circumferentially carriedaround the wall means 11 so as to enclose the cross-section of thehollow interior region 12 defined therein in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal inelastic means 11B, which maycomprise longitudinal inelastic fibers, such as fiber glass, or the like(although not specifically so limited) extending along the length of theflexible wall 11, whereby to prevent longitudinal stretching or anincrease in radial size of the entire hollow table support member 10. Inthe specific form illustrated, the flexible wall means 11 comprises aninner portion of plastic material 11C and an outer portion of plasticmaterial 11D, with the circumferential inelastic means 11A and thelongitudinal inelastic means 11B positioned therebetween or effectivelyembedded therein. However, it should be clearly noted that thisconstruction is illustrative only. The inelastic means may be of varioustypes, need no necessarily include two layers in all circumstances ofuse, and may be positioned at any location with respect to the remainderof the flexible wall, either inside or outside thereof, and notnecessarily embedded therein in the specific manner illustrated in thefigures and just described in detail hereinabove.

The hollow interior region 12 is filled with a viscous inelastic medium14, which substantially fills said hollow interior region 12. The hollowtable support member 10 effectively has a load imposed thereon by theweight of the table 13, as applied thereto by the central supportstandard or pillar 15 of the table 13 and the lower disc-shaped baseportion 16 thereof, which lies in immediately superimposed relationshipabove the hollow table support member 10. This relationship, in the formillustrated, is maintained by the attachment means 17,

which comprises suitable adhesive means for firmly mounting the hollowtable support member 10 underneath the disc-shsaped base portion 16 ofthe table 13. However, in certain forms, of the invention, the tablesupport member 10 may be otherwise attached or may be free and merelyappropriately positioned underneath the disc-shaped base portion 16 ofthe table 13.

The above-mentioned viscous inelastic material 14, in

. 3 i one preferred form, may comprise a slurry including solidparticles in suspension in a liquid carrier such as a thick mixture ofclay particles in suspension in water (although not specifically solimited), whereby excess dicated at 14L, where the vertical spacingbetween corresponding-portions 16L and 18L of the disc-shaped baseportion 16 and the floor 18 is greater, whereby to equalize interiorhydrostatic pressure within the hollow interior region 12 and to varythe effective vertical thickness of the table support member so as tocompensate for variations in the underlying floor 18 from a truehorizontal plane. This type of compensation for maximum vertical spacingbetween the disc-shaped base portion at 16L and the underlying floor at18L is clearly shown in FIG. 6, after such equalization and compensationhas occurred, whereby to firmly and eficctively correct for such slightvariations in the floor 18 fiom a true horizontal plane and whereby toeffectively stabilize the table 13 against wobble.

It should be clearly noted that the table support member of the presentinvention may assume configurations 'other than circular or toroidalshape and may cooperate in supporting, stabilizing, and compensatingrelationship with respect to a superimposed member of virtually anydesired shapenot necessarily round or disc-shaped as the disc-shapedbaseportion 16 illustrated in the figures. It should also be notedthatthe flexible inelastic'material forming the wall of the hollow tablesupport member of the present invention may be modified substantial- 4the viscous inelastic medium to flow away from high pressure regionstoward lowpressureregions to equalize interior hydrostatic pressureWithin the interior region and to vary the vertical thickness of theobject-support member so as to compensate for variations in theunderlying floor from a true horizontal plane in a manner ly, as may theviscous inelastic medium carried therein.

This is also true in regard to the attachment means for fastening thehollow table support member of the present invention with respect to anobject which is to be stabilized and supported. Said attachment meansmay be modified substantially or may merely comprise forcible abutmentthereagainst as a result of the weight being supported by the hollowsupport member. g

It should be understood that the figures and the specific descriptionthereof set forth in this application are for the purpose ofillustrating the present invention and are not to be'construed aslimiting the present invention to the precise'and detailed specificstructure shown in the figures and specifically described bereinbefore.Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantiallyequivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventiveconcept of the present invention.

1. A stabilizer, comprising: a hollow object-support member offlexible-material comprising flexible enclosing wall means definingtherein a hollow interior region, said hollow interior region within thehollow flexible ob 'ject-support member being filled with a viscousinelastic medium whereby unequal pressure applied to the objectsupportmember by unequally vertically spaced parts of a superimposed object andan underlying floor will cause tending to support the object verticallyand to stabilize the engagement of the object with respect to the underlying floor and to virtually prevent wobble therebetween, said wallmeans. including inelastic means to prevent the hollow object-supportmember. from stretching in a manner tending to increase the volume ofthe hollow interior region.

2. A stabilizer of the character defined in claim 1, includingattachment means for attaching the object-support member underneath acorresponding flat portion of V the object which is to be stabilized.

3. Atable stabilizer adapted to be positioned between the surface of anunderlying floor and a disc-shaped base portion'of a central supportmember of a table for stabilizing the table against wobble withrespect-to the underlying floor and for compensating for slightvariations in the floor from a true horizontal-plane, comprising: atoroidal-shaped hollow table support member of flexible materialcomprising flexible enclosing wall means defining therein a continuoustoroidal hollow interior region, said hollow interior region within thehollow flexible table support member being filled with a viscousinelastic medium whereby unequal pressure applied to the table-supportmember by unequally vertically spaced parts of a superimposedtable-support base and an underlying floor will cause theviscousinelastic medium to flow away from high pressure regions toward lowpressure regions to equalize interior hydrostatic pressure within theinterior region and to vary the vertical thickness of the-table supportmember so as to compensate for variations in the underlying floor from atrue horizontal plane in a manner tending to support the tablevertically and to stabilize the engagement of the table-support basewith respect to the underlying floor and to virtually prevent wobbletherebetween said wall means including longitudinal inelastic meanscarried along the length thereof to prevent the table support memberfrom longitudinally stretching, and additionally including inelasticmeans circumferentially carried around the wall 'means so as to enclosethe cross-section of the hollow interior region defined therein in aplane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal inelastic means toprevent the table support member from stretching in a manner tending toincrease the cross-sectional area of the hollow interior region, I

4. A stabilizer of the character defined in claim 3, includingattachmentmeans for attaching the table-support member underneath acorresponding portion of a fiat table-support base having a flat bottomsurface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,704,663 Blake Mar. 22, 1955 2,776,101 McDerrrlott Ian. 1, 19572,871,616 Sundell Feb. 3, 1959 2,944,367 Bontecue July 12, 1960

